Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter
National Football Foundation
FOURTH 2026 GRINOLD CHAPTER NEW ENGLAND DIVISION III FOOTBALL WEEKLY RANKINGS RELEASED
The fourth Grinold Chapter New England Division III Football Coaches poll of the 2026 season has been tabulated, and Endicott College holds the number one spot for the fourth straight week. The New England Small College Athletic Conference leads the poll with four teams. The New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference places three teams and the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference is represented by two teams in the poll’s top 10.
The Gulls received 11 of 12 first place votes to top Springfield College, the recipient of one first place vote, by 16 points in the poll. Trinity College in third place leads three NESCAC teams in the top five. Wesleyan University is fourth and Amherst College is fifth in this week’s rankings. The poll is rounded out by Bridgewater State, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Williams College, Salve Regina University and WPI.
The New England Division III Football Poll is presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation, which also serves as the title sponsor of the weekly Gold Helmet Awards presented by the New England Football Writers Association throughout the season.
GRINOLD CHAPTER NEW ENGLAND DIVISION III FOOTBALL POLL
Week #4 – October 19, 2026
Rank School (First Place Votes), Record, Points, Previous Rank
1 Endicott (11), 6-0, 119, 1
2 Springfield (1), 5-1, 103, 2
3 Trinity, 5-0, 93, 3
4 Wesleyan, 5-0, 89, 4
5 Amherst, 5-0, 62, 6
6 Bridgewater, 5-1, 55, 8
7 Massachusetts Maritime, 5-0, 53, 7
8 Williams, 4-1, 35, Receiving Votes
9 Salve Regina, 4-2, 32, 5
10 WPI, 4-2, 11, 9
Also Receiving Votes: Curry (4), Tufts 3, Westfield State (1).
19 Named to the Grinold Chapter 2026 Scholar-Athlete Class
Nineteen high school senior football players representing 11 different high schools have been selected to the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter 2026 Scholar-Athtete class.
The awards are given to those graduating seniors in the Chapter footprint who have achieved excellence on the gridiron, in the classroom, and in the community.
"We are extremely proud and excited to honor this very talented group of amazing young men," Chapter Executive Director Jim Seavey said. "Their accomplishments on the field speak for themselves. It is what they do in their free time to enhance their schools and their communities, normally wIthout any fanfare, is what truly sets them apart."
The awardees will be attending 17 different colleges in Divisions I, II, and III, including Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Ivy League, Coastal Athletic Association, Northeast 10, Conference of New England, Liberty League, and New England Small College Athletic Conference institutions.
The Chapter has honored the schaolar-athletes since 1976. Over that time 1,046 young men have received the honor.
The complete list of honorees is available here.
Dartmouth’s Keith, UMass Dartmouth’s Wilson Named 2026 Week 7 Recipients of NEFW/Grinold Chapter Gold Helmet Awards
Dartmouth College senior safety Harrison Keith, and UMass Dartmouth senior running back Mekhi Wilson are this week’s recipients of the New England Football Writers Association Gold Helmet Awards presented by the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Keith, a native of Fairfield, Conn., and a graduate of Choate School, led a secondary that allowed no points in the fourth quarter and helped create a turnover in the Big Green’s 27-21 win over Merrimack. Keith had five pass break-ups, one of them in the fourth quarter, that produced an interception off the tip at the Merrimack 24 leading to a Dartmouth field goal. Keith also broke up a third-and-1 pass in the third quarter to force a Merrimack punt. He added nine tackles, six of them solo.
Wilson, from Narragansett, R.I., and a graduate of Narragansett High School, set the UMass Dartmouth single-game rushing record with 340 yards on a career-high 39 carries (8.7 yards/carry) in the Corsairs’ 49-40 victory at Worcester State. The 340 rushing yards is the best in Division III this season. Wilson ran for a pair of touchdowns in both the second (7 and 14 yards) and fourth (13 and 11 yards) quarters including 75 yards in the possession that lead to the game clinching score.
For the twelfth straight year, the Jack Grinold/Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation is the presenting sponsor for both the weekly and end-of-year Gold Helmet Awards presented to student-athletes from FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III institutions throughout New England. The awards will be presented at the NEFW Captains and Awards Banquet on December 10 at the Renaissance Framingham Hotel & Conference Center.
For more information on the Gold Helmet Awards and the New England Football Writers Association, please visit www.newenglandfootballwriters.com
2026 NEW ENGLAND FOOTBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION
WEEKLY GRINOLD CHAPTER GOLD HELMET AWARD RECIPIENTS
Division I (FBS/FCS) Division II/III
September 6 William “Pop” Watson, III, UMass Mathias Fowler, Framingham
September 13 Joquez Smith, New Hampshire Shea Lynch, Endicott
September 20 Dante Reno, Yale Christian Shapiro, Tufts
September 27 Xander Benson, Harvard Bryan Ferreira, Endicott
October 4 Dante Reno, Yale Michael Mendicino, Springfield
October 11 Charlie Smith, Harvard Chris Donohue, Dean
October 18 Harrison Keith, Dartmouth Mekhi Wilson, UMass Dartmouth
Milton Academy's Giovanni named to NFF Team of Distinction
2026 Milton Academy graduate Joe Giovanni has been named to the National Football Foundation 2026 Team of Distinction honoring the nation's top high school scholar-athletes who represent the future leaders of the game and have excelled at the very highest levels in the classroom, on the field and by making an impact in their communities. Giovanni is one of 63 honorees from a nationwide pool of over 3,500 high school football scholar-athletes as selected by the regional chapters of the NFF.
A four-year starter at wide receiver and defensive back for the Mustangs, Giovanni was a two-time Independent School League All-Star selection. Over the course of his junior and senior seasons, Giovanni snared 10 interceptions. A standout of special teams, Giovanni was Milton Academy's primary return specialist on both punts and kickoffs and had five returns for touchdowns over the past two years. In addition to football, Giovanni also competed tot he Mustangs' basketball and track teams.
Giovanni will attend Harvard University in the fall and has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Crimson.